Tidewell receives $100,000 in foundation grants to help fund COVID-19 response
Thanks to the incredible generosity of two leading local foundations, Tidewell Hospice is pleased to announce that it has received $100,000 from the COVID-19 Response Initiative of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.
The combined gift will help equip Tidewell’s front-line health care workers with the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to protect Tidewell’s staff and patients. Also, the funds will help support the costs of childcare for Tidewell’s front line workers in response to the closing of schools and childcare centers.
Grant funds provide support for additional staffing so Tidewell can continue to provide world-class hospice care as well as additional supportive care, including a Community Hope Line. Grief counselors, social workers and chaplains are staffing a 24/7 community-wide phone line (941-556-HOPE) and email address communityhope@tidewell.org for people who need counseling, spiritual care and social service assistance.
“On behalf of Tidewell Hospice, and the patients, families, loved ones, colleagues, volunteers and supporters we serve, words cannot describe our sincere appreciation for this grant,” Tidewell President and CEO Jonathan Fleece said. “The servant leaders at Tidewell are beyond dedicated to serving the community through the many challenges of COVID-19. This grant is a tremendous gesture of love and thanks for their service and sacrifices.”
“We’re focused on taking care of the people who take care of our community,” says Teri A Hansen, President | CEO of Barancik Foundation. “Without our frontline workers, we don’t have the social safety net needed to ensure our community is safe and resilient.”
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About Tidewell Hospice
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Tidewell Hospice is an independent, not-for-profit health provider offering a home-centered, comprehensive system of end of life and palliative care for people living with advanced illness and their families. Annually, Tidewell provides care for nearly 10,000 patients throughout its four-county service area of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. Hospice houses and offices are located in Arcadia, Bradenton, Englewood, Lakewood Ranch, Palmetto, Port Charlotte, Sarasota and Venice. As the region’s only not-for-profit hospice, Tidewell relies on donor contributions to provide a number of its acclaimed patient and community services. Tidewell is accredited by the Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) with deemed status, signifying excellent care and meeting Medicare’s conditions of participation.
About Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation
The Charles and Margery Barancik family has long believed in the power of philanthropy to shape our world and enrich the lives of all people. It was the expression of this belief that led them in 2014 to establish the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation—a private, family foundation located in Sarasota, Florida. The Barancik Foundation creates initiatives and awards grants in Sarasota and beyond in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment, and medical research. For more information, visit www.barancikfoundation.org.
About Gulf Coast Community Foundation
For 25 years, together with its donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation has transformed our region through bold and proactive philanthropy. Gulf Coast is a public charity that was created in 1995 through the sale of the Venice Hospital. Since then, it has become the philanthropic home of nearly 1,000 families, individuals, organizations, and businesses that have established charitable funds there, and together they have invested over $370 million in grants and initiatives in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at www.GulfCoastCF.org
